Grave Mistake Records’ plans for 2012

Hello all! Here’s a long overdue update to get everyone up to speed with what GRAVE MISTAKE has planned for 2012 so far. I haven’t really talked too much about upcoming releases, so this might be the first you are hearing about some of these. Anyways, here goes … I’m going to keep it as brief as possible but it’s a lot to cover, expect more details in the coming months on some of these projects/

First off, as you might have seen, the first two releases for 2012 hit the streets last week. The debut 7″ from SECTARIAN VIOLENCE and the long awaited BAD ADVICE “Do Not Resuscitate” 7″. I’m pretty sure I said more than enough about these two killer slabs of hardcore in last week’s update, but they are available in the webstore now (still have some colored vinyl left) and will be hitting distros and stores as the month goes on. SECTARIAN VIOLENCE also have a European tour planned for this month, and you can check out the dates at http://sectarianxviolence.blogspot.com/.

Up next we have an incredible three song 7″ single from Boston’s BLOODY GEARS (http://bloodygears.blogspot.com/). BLOODY GEARS put out their killer debut EP on Deranged back in 2010, and I’d been talking about possibly doing a release with them since then. Well as luck and timing would have it, a little while back they hit me up and told me that they had just recorded their LP, “Landscapes of Disease,” due out this April on DERANGED RECORDS (http://www.derangedrecords.com/), and had a few extra songs they wanted to put on a 7″. We thought it would be a good idea to include one of the LP tracks and do a traditional “single” for the LP. “Frozen Rain” is the title track, and will feature two non-LP b-sides. We’ve got the test pressings approved and covers in hand, so this one is right around the corner! Looking at a late March release, the single will be a one time pressing.

Out in early April will be a new 7″ single from Seattle’s BIG EYES (http://bigeyesband.blogspot.com). These two brand new songs (“Back From the Moon” b/w “I Don’t Care About Friday Night”) are the follow up to 2011’s phenomenal “Hard Life” LP, and just might just be the catchiest songs the band has written yet! I couldn’t be more excited to be working with them as “Hard Life” was definitely in my top LPs of 2011 (not to mention they blew me away live the several times I’ve been lucky enough to catch them). BIG EYES have been touring pretty much nonstop since their LP came out, with no plans of slowing down anytime soon. Their next tour, the BACK FROM THE MOON US & CANADA TOUR, starts in early April and we are looking to have this 7″ ready for the first show. You can check out the dates here: http://www.facebook.com/events/311664282226767

Also currently at the pressing plant is the new LP from Toronto’s own SCHOOL JERKS (http://schooljerksadventurepunks.blogspot.com/). Clocking in thirteen tracks in just under fifteen minutes, if you were a fan of any of their previous three singles, then you will obviously love this LP (check out the new tracks on their site if you don’t believe me). I started working with the SCHOOL JERKS dudes a few years back when their debut 7″ (on Tony Bitch’s RIFF RAFF RECORDS) needed a repress and he handed the plates over to me … they’ve been sort of an “unofficial” GRAVE MISTAKE band since then so it’s cool to make it official now with this release. This LP will actually be a split between myself and the band, not too sure on a release date yet but it’s looking like late April / early May. More news on that as it develops.

Once those three new records are out, we’ll be revisiting some old favorites (that you’ve probably heard me mention before). First off it’s looking like reissue of Baltimore’s THE THUMBS “All Lesser Devils Session” LP is FINALLY going to see the light of day. This release will consist of the full ten song “All Lesser Devils” recording session; seven songs from the EP originally released on ADELINE RECORDS in 2000, plus three additional tracks from the session that were used for various splits and comps. I’ve been talking with the band about reissuing this material since 2009, so it feels great to be finally making headway on this. We just got the full session remastered by Dan Randall at MAMMOTH SOUND and it sounds phenomenal … we have some cool ideas for this release so stay tuned. If all goes as planned, I will also be reissuing their 2001 “Last Match” LP (also released on Adeline) either later in the year or possibly next year. If you have never heard of THE THUMBS, do yourself a favor and look em up. A bit of a different style for the label, but they have been one of my favorite bands for the past fifteen years and their music continues to blow me away even to this day.

Also on the “reissue” slate for this summer will be a 12″ version of the first two 86 MENTALITY singles, 2004’s “S/T” 7″and 2005’s “On The Loose” 7″, along with five additional non-ep tracks recorded during those sessions. Although the extra tracks have been previously released on the “Goin’ Nowhere Fast” CD (2005), this will be their first time on vinyl and the entire 17 song collection has been remastered by Dan at MAMMOTH SOUND and sounds incredible. With both singles now out of print, I felt (and I’m sure you agree) that these songs were just too good for “OOP” status, and I wanted to keep them as readily available as possible. Details on the release are still being ironed out, but we hope to put together a great release with a killer layout to compliment the remastered tracks which sound better than ever.

Also in the works for 2012 …

If that wasn’t enough, there is still more planned but I’ll be brief with it … we’ll be working on an awesome project with Richmond record shop STEADY SOUNDS (http://steadysounds.tumblr.com/); a pretty sweet reissue of some RVA hc/punk from 1981. The band is the MOD SUBS and they were a short lived band who’s members later went on to form WHITE CROSS. They managed to record a sessions worth of material, which we were lucky enough to pull directly from the original reels and have plans for a 12″ reissue later this year.

BRAIN F≠ is also currently working on their follow up to 2011’s “Sleep Rough” LP, and if that goes as planned, will be another collaboration with the one and only SORRY STATE RECORDS (http://sorrystaterecords.com/). NIGHT BIRDS are also currently writing new material, and although new release plans are not concrete yet, we will hopefully hear more on a follow up to “The Other Side of Darkness” LP as the year progresses. NIGHT BIRDS will also have a brand new track on the upcoming “The Thing That Ate Larry Livermore” compilation on ADELINE RECORDS (http://larrylivermore.blogspot.com/2011/09/thing-that-ate-larry-livermore.html), have some incredible shows in the works for this spring, and will be hitting the West Coast this summer as well … you can keep up with their happenings at http://www.facebook.com/NGHTBRDS. The band also made a very entertaining appearance on NYC Public Access Comedy Talk Show THE CHRIS GETHARD SHOW, you can check out the show and their performance (in front of a live slamming studio audience) at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enTz24Hrgzs

Well, that’s about it for now. If you made it this far, then I can’t thank you enough! It might also be appropriate to mention that 2012 marks Grave Mistake’s TEN YEAR Anniversary, so a sincere THANK YOU to all of the bands, labels, mailorder pals, distro friends, distributors, stores, zines, websites, blogs, radio stations, etc etc etc that have keep me going this long, I couldn’t have done it without you and your support.

★ IDIOTEQ is a DIY online magazine covering some of the hardcore punk and rock music scene, and supporting DIY ethics and local bands

★ IDIOTEQ (pronounce “idiotec”) is a phonetic transcription of the word Idioteque – the act of suddenly going into a crazy, seizure like state. A vision of a society, where people are increasingly more obsessed with pointless technology, selfishness and mindless entertainment than life itself.